whitewolffandomcom-20200213-history
Cult of Ecstasy
Paradigm Many see the Cultists as little more than wanton hedonists, but the truth is more sophisticated. While it is true that many of them employ sex, drugs, music and dance in their magic, their true goal is indicatd in their name: Ecstasy comes from the Latin ex stasis which actually means 'out of stasis'. The Ecstatics seek to transcend the illusions of reality and see the world without boundaries where their consciousness spans all space and time. This is known as the Eternal Moment. Sometimes also referred to as touching Lakashim, the heartbeat of the world. Other tools employed by them can be equally potent - ritualised self-mutilation, fasting and extreme physical activities are less used, but equally a part of the cult. The best description in the book is as follows: The Cult thrives in the eternal second at the height of an elegant dance, the shuddering sensitivity of total exhaustion, and the lateral thoughts of an opened mind.''Mage: The Ascension Rulebook Revised, pp.57 There are a million ways to reach this, so trying to define their paradigm without explaining the basic philosophy behind it is all but impossible. Philosophy: ''Sahaja Cultists employ their methods in pursuit of Passion(emotion), often the Nine Sacred Passions, knowing that only passion can take them high enough to surpass human boundaries and perceptions to reach the eternal moment. Some are more enlightened than others as to the true purpose and source of emotion, but the pursuit is the same. The Ecstatics have a set of guidelines, known as the Code of Ananda, that has been passed down from the Cult's founding organizer. The Code's purpose is to protect Ecstatics and others from misapplication of their passions. Central to the Code are rules forbidding the forcing of your passion or experiences on another (such as swapping the mushrooms in your friend's pasta with hallucinogenic mushrooms), as the Cult believes each person must want to find their own kammamarga ("path to enlightenment"). Ananda is a Sanskrit word which means "bliss", and the use of such Indic terminology among Ecstatics is one of many examples showing the mutually formative influence between the Cult of Ecstasy and the culture of India. In India the Ecstatics' central philosophy has been known for hundreds of years as Sahaja, which is a Sanskrit word meaning "passionate nature". From this comes the descriptor for one who subscribes to the Cult's central philosophy, sahajiya, which translates as "follower of passionate nature". History Being the Tradition that has taken the seat of Time, trying to describe their history in any sensible and continuous means is understandably difficult. Keep in mind that any Ecstatic that is asked the history of the Cult may, quite readily, laugh at the questioner. Some may take pity and attempt to explain a thing or two. Certain events can be pointed to, but fixing their exact location on the timeline is not necessarily even possible. Think of the Cult's history as a stone skipping across the waters of the timestreams and you've come to as close of an analogy as possible to the truth of it. Given that, the following events can be pointed out. * The earliest influential members of the Cult were sahajiya in Asia, which is why the title Sahajiya ("follower of passionate nature" in Sanskrit) is still used as a nickname for any member of the Cult. * When the Sahajiya and other factions were first organized into a formal magical Tradition they were known as the Seers of Chronos. They were later renamed as the Cult of Ecstasy in 1867; this came following the Sh'zar's reappearance and decision to change the Tradition's name because they were straying from their true mission. Organization Factions Historical Factions * Erzuli Jingo * Fellowship of Pan :* Kiss of Astarte :* Maenads * Fifth World Tribe: Los Sabios Locos * K'an Lu * Sahajiya * Vratyas Dissidents Against Ananda * Aghoris * Acharne * Hagalaz Progressivists * Joybringers * Dissonance Society * Klubwerks Political Factions * Children's Crusade * Cult of Acceptance * Silver Bridges Introduced Elsewhere * Dervish * Confrérie de Chango * roda do jogo * los sangradores * Studiosi * umilyenye Version Differences Culture The view from outside the Cult is that life is one never-ending party. For some younger Ecstatics, this might be true, as they drunkenly lurch from one debauchery to the next, trying to find enlightenment. Most of the Ecstatics know that most things are best sampled in moderation, lest their passions become blunted and thus ruined for them - although a Cultist's idea of "moderation" might be quite different to the average person's. If you look beneath the stereotyping, the Cult itself is filled with contradictions and controversy even among its members. Most of whom seem to quite enjoy the lively and passionate debate. Even things passed down through the ages are often debated. One such is the Code of Ananda, upheld by some and outright rejected by others. These guidelines act to protect Cultists from their passions and each other, but are not accepted by all Ecstatics. A second is a book written by Tali Eos called the Nine Sacred Passions, which is less in itself debated, but more the approach to pursuing passions. It truly is that the only constant there lies within the Cult is the constant of Change. Although there is a persisting belief that Lakashim (Synonymous with Life) is holy. There are, however, some individuals who care little for the lives of Sleepers and quite happily sate their lust for perversion, rape, murder or worse on those around them. Such individuals are severely punished by the Cult - if they can be caught. William Ethrac is one such notorious individual who has so far eluded all attempts at capture. References Category:Mage: The Ascension Category:Glossary Category:Mage: The Ascension glossary